Flexible umbrella rib



J. LUTZ ET AL FLEXIBLE UMBRELLA 'RIB Filed Feb. 12. 1924 ATTORNEYS Patented oce21, 192 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT I JOHN LUTZ AND WAYNE S. EVANS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 s. w. EVANS & so=N, or, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A FIRM ooMrosEn OF SAMUEL W. EVANS, WAYNE -S. EVANS, AND MORTONE. EVANS.

FLEXIBLE UMBRELLA RIB.

Application ruea February 12, 1924. Serial No. 692,226.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that, we, JOHN LUTZ and WAYNE S. EVANS, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, countyof Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Flexible Umbrella Rib, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention generally stated relates to a novel rib structure for umbrellas, parasols, sunshades and the like and our object is to utilize conventional ribs of a type in which heavy grooved material is employed by leaving present rib cross section only at the geat, While the groove of the remainder of the rib is widened and its height reduced from the geat to the butt end and from the geat to the tip end,'said widening to be dependent on the amount of flexibility desired.

By our novel construction, ribs from common stock can be employed for both large and small sized umbrellas, parasols and the like, and our construction results in rendering more flexible a conventional, heavy, grooved rib by leaving intact the rib cross section at the geat and in widening or spreading the rib groove to reduce its height from the geat to the butt end, and from the geat to the tip end.

A further object resides in the provision of general details of construction and in the arrangement, connection and combination of parts for attaining the results sought.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention, we have shown in the accompanying drawings, forms thereof which are at present preferred by us, since the same will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which our invention consists may bevariously arranged and: organized and that our invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure 1, represents a plan view of a novel rib embodying our invention.

Figure 2, represents a side elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3, represents a transverse section on line 33, Figure 2.

stretcher and our novel rib.

' Figure 5, represents, a plan view showing our novel rib, stretcherand its adjuncts.

Referring to the drawings; Similar numerals of reference represent corresponding parts.

Figure 4, represents a sideelevation of a 1 designates our novel construction of rib,

which is formed with a narrow section at the point 2, which is the proper place for the location of the geat, while the groove or portion 3 extending from the geat to the tip end 4 is widened, as is the portion or groove 5 extending from the geat to the butt end 6, said grooves 3 and 5 being of the same width. This widening of the grooves 3 and 5 can be efi'ected by any suitable means, and the resultant rib structure viewed from-the side appears as seen in Figures 2 and 4, where it will be apparent that the height of the rib is reduced from the geat to the butt end as indicated at 7 and from the geat to the tip end as indicated at 8, or in other words the walls 11 are higher than the walls 7 and 8 as will be apparent from Figures 2 and 3. 9 designates a clip and 10 the stretcher, which maybe of any conventional type. Our invention is especially adapted for the smaller sized umbrellas and parasols, where it is desirable to have a certain amount of 'flexibilityso that the rib when the umbrella is open can assume a curvature, somewhat as shown in Figure 4.

By our novel construction we are able to utilize the structure of our Patent No. 807,433, granted December 22, 1908, it being apparent that the presence of the wide grooves or sections 3 and 5, increases the flexibility of the rib, to the desired extent, and that the purpose of the narrow portion 2 is to permit the use of our present standard geat construction. WVe have found that when a lighter gauge of material for the rib is used, and the standard cross section is retained, that not only isthis'lighter material hard to procure, but-it is diflicult to heat-treat and it further proves unsatisfactory in actual use.

All of the foregoing disadvantages are obviated by our novel device, and the amount of flexibility desired can be readily regulated by Widening the grooves or sec tions 3 and 5 to the desired extent.

It Will now be apparent that We have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the "features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description and While We have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification in various particulars Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described our invention, What We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

As a new article of manufacture, an ulnbrella rib, having its groove at the location of the geat U-shaped and narrowed, and the groove from the geat to the buttend and from the geat to the tip end widened and U-shaped, said widened grooves being of substantially the same cross section and the side Walls of said narrowed portion being higher than the side Walls of the widened portions, whereby the rib is given a desired degree of flexibility.

J OI-IN LUTZ. VAYNE S. EVANS. 

